I was in China this past summer, and I was in China almost 20 years ago. China today makes the US look like rural Russia in terms of aging backwards cities. Yikes Hels02 did you get brainwashed there? Rocko1 knows what he's talking about. If you know anything about Chinese culture or have a basic knowledge of any past communist, fascist or dictatorship regime you would know the best time to DEMAND something is when they have a big public event about to happen. The Chinese are very concerned with image and of course they will free some journalists as a token gesture. Paulson should have really unloaded or sweet talked them he did neither and consequently got nothing. For such a high powered US delegation to get stiffed like that really looks bad. The good news is... more troops to Iraq!